PM Modi, Arvind Kejriwal can't get away by making empty promises: Rahul Gandhi to sanitation workers

NEW DELHI: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday launched a twin attack on the Centre and the AAP-led Delhi government, slamming them for making empty promises and ignoring the rights of workers and farmers.

Over 15,000 workers were on strike in Delhi protesting non-payment of their salaries for over two months. Last week, they called it off after L-G Najeeb Jung announced that he would release Rs 493 crore for their salaries.

In his address at a rally of sanitation workers in the capital, Gandhi slammed PM Narendra Modi and CM Arvind Kejriwal of only making tall claims for the upliftment of the poor. "Modi and Kejriwal think that they can just get away by making empty promises."

मोदी जी, केजरीवाल जी सोचते है की वायदे करने से बदलाव आ जायेगा, हम सोचते है की आप के साथ खड़े होकर ही बदलाव आएगा : राहुल गांधी

— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) June 17, 2015

"I told the sanitation workers that they are India's 'sena'. No matter how much time passes we will work hard to fullfill their demands."

Gandhi accused the Centre and the city government of passing the buck. "You keep the city clean... they are not bothered. If you go to the Centre, it tells you to go to the Delhi government...no one is bothered."

Batting for farmer rights and worker wages, Gandhi said the Centre is baised towards the wealthy. "For a coal mine, Rs 1 crore goes to an industrialist, but for farmer's land, all they get is measly Rs 50,000 to 1 lakh."

"The land is taken from farmers and used to build F1 race tracks," he added.

"They say it is for development...we don't want such development," adding that he will step up his campaign for farmers and poor. "I'm in no hurry, ready for a long haul," the party vice president said to a cheering crowd.

"I will stand with you, whether it is for 1 day, 10 or 50 days. This is not about Delhi's sanitation. This is about more than that, this is a fight for the nation, for our rights," he said.

Gandhi also attacked the government over its push for the land bill. "This is not just a speech for safai karamcharees but for the weak, poor, underprivileged people of this nation, including farmers," he said.